Selectively engageable means for plural roll tape dispensers



April 23, 1963 LIAMS ,086,4l7

E. C. WIL SELECTIVELY ENGAGEABLE MEANS FOR PLURAL ROLL TAPE DISPENSERS Filed April 24, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Elbert 6. Williams /32 I72 INVENTOR.

1 L BY Mayan/0y Fm April 23, 1963 E. c. WILLIAMS 3,086,417

SELECTIVELY ENGAG EABLE MEANS FOR PLURAL ROLL TAPE DISPENSERS Filed April 24, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 2

\T E Iberf C. Williams INVENTOR'.

Mao/5;. BY ym,

A ril 23, 1963 Filed April 24, 1959 E. c. WILLIAMS I 3, SELECTIVELY ENGAGEABLE MEANS FOR PLURAL ROLL TAPE DISPENSERS 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig. 4 35 5 E lber/ .0. Williams 1 N VEN TOK Mm BY m 3M market.

United States Patent 3,086,417 SELECTIVELY ENGAGEABLE MEANS FOR PLURAL ROLL TAPE DISPENSERS Elbert C. Williams, Medford, 0reg., assignor to Tru Mech Corporation, a corporation of Oregon Filed Apr. 24, 1959, Ser. No. 808,676 9 Claims. (Cl. 83--416) This invention relates to dispensers and more particularly to a machine for dispensing a selected quantity of stamps from a supply thereof.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple, practical and easily operated dispenser which is especially useful in selecting and dispensing trading stamps.

A further object of the invention is to provide a dispenser for trading stamps and the like, wherein the dispenser is capable of being actuated very quickly and yet even with the mechanical simplicity of a dispenser the correct number of stamps that is, from one stamp to any practical maximum thereof, are drawn from a supply thereof and severed.

Prior dispensers of the type which are wholly mechanically operated, that is, without the aid of an electric motor, have not proved satisfactory for dispensing trading stamps or any other sheet material for lack of accuracy in the absence of complex dispenser structure and because of jamming and other difficulties. The dispenser in accordance with this invention employs an easily adjusted selector together with a positive friction drive for the stamp which does not rely on perforations in the stamps for the mechanical drive. In this way the sheet material is discharged as a portion of the sheet, and the preselected length is automatically severed in response to a simple depression of an operator.

The example of material dispensed is selected as trading stamps because such stamps typify required high speed dispensing for instance, in the check-out line of a super At a time when a number of customers are waiting to have the grocery bill totalled, savings of several seconds per customer in the handling of trading stamps can be of utmost importance. Accordingly, the machine which typifies this invention is intended to fulfill the need for an efficient, practical and dependable machine for rapid handling of trading stamps;

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a machine constructed in accordance with the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2- 2 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5--5 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary perspective view shown diagrammatically to illustrate a portion of the internal structure of the machine apart from surrounding structure.

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the relationship of the slide and conveyor engaging fingers.

In the accompanying drawings there is illustrated a dispenser 10 which exemplifies the invention. The dispenser is made of a dispener case or housing 12 having "ice a bottom wall 14, a front wall 16, a pair of side walls 18 and 20 respectively, a rear wall 22 and a top wall 24. The top surface of the machine is titled (FIGURES 2 and 3) for convenience of operation, and the machine preferably sets on a plurality of short resilient feet 26 that are attached to bottom wall 14.

Dispenser 10 preferably has two supply chambers28 and 30 in which two rolls 32 and 34 of sheet material, for instance trading stamps, are maintained. Doors 36 on hinges 38 and constituting a part of side walls 18 and 20, lend access to the chambers 28 and 30 for replenishing the trading stamps. The rolls of stamps are each mounted on spools 40 and 42, and the spools are, in turn mounted for free rotation on a spindle 44 extending transversely across both chambers 28 and 30. Brackets 46 and 48 having saddle bearings or other types of conventional bearings 50 and 52 at the upper ends thereof, are riveted or otherwise fastened to bottom wall 14 and they are disposed in the laterally communicating chambers 28 and 30. With spindle 44 mounted in bearings 50 and 52, the rolls of trading stamps are easily inserted operatively in the chambers and slip over the ends of the spindle 44. When trading stamps or the like are used from a supply other than a roll, for instance in an accordion pleat supply, spindle 44 in its supporting brackets are unnecessary and are omitted.

The dispenser has two sections on the left and right side thereof. One section is for dispensing stamps from roll 32 and the other section is for dispensing stamps from roll 34. Roll 32 has single stamps and roll 34 provides stamps in' a sheet, for instance the stamps may contain five per transverse row. The structures in each section are essentially identical. Considering first section 60 which is used for dispensing single stamps, attention is invited to FIGURE 2 showing strip 33 fed from roll 32 and over two rollers '64 and 66. Roller 64 is secured to a shaft 68, and shaft 68 is mounted for rotation in fixed bearings 70 and 72 which are secured to wall 24 and wall 18 of the machine housing or casing. Roller 66 is attached to a shaft 74 which is mounted for rotation in a pair of similar supporting bearings 76 and 78. The rollers may be rubber covered to increase friction between the rollers and strip 33. Upper rollers 80 and 82 contact the top surface of strip 33, and the rollers are in pairs, each pair consisting of an upper and lower roller. Roller 80 is mounted on a spindle 83 which is carried by a frame 84, the latter being essentially U-shaped and mounted on a spindle 86 extending across the sides of an elongate operating lever and cover 88. Torsion spring 90 is engaged with spindle 86 and with a part of the frame 84, and the bias of the spring is in a direction which pushes roller 80 downward toward roller 64. Roller 82 is mounted identical to the mounting of roller 80, there being a spindle 91 on which roller 82 is supported, together with a torsion spring 92 plus a frame 93 mounting spindle 94 with which the torsion spring is operatively connected. The torsion spring also reacts on frame 93 and urges roller .82 toward roller 66 with strip 33 located between the rollers. An elongate flat table 96 is located between the pairs of rollers and is attached to or alternatively, constitutes a part of top wall 24 to hold the strip 33 flat in between the pairs of rollers.

The operating lever and cover 88 is constructed as a downwardly opening channel and has a hinge 98 atone end connecting it to the wall 22 of casing 12. The op posite end of the operating lever 88 and cover has a pressure pad 100 consisting of a spring biased plunger carried by the operating lever '88 and cover. The pressure pad bears against the top surface of the strip 33 upon initial downward movement of operating lever 88 and cover. Upon further downward movement of the lever 88 and cover, knife 104 is brought to bear against the strip 33 at a place immediately in alignment with up wardly opening slot v106 formed between stationary cutter bar 108 that is attached to wall 16 and a portion of the front wall behind the cutter bar 108. The blade of the cutter has a pair of lateral projections'112 and 114 fitting under a pair of fixed stops 116 and 118 consisting of a pair of ears attached to wall 24, so that the upward limit of travel for operating lever and cover 88 is established. The surface 120 opposed to the pressure pad 100 is formed by a flat metal plate having a finger 122 (-FIGURE 4) protruding from the rear edge thereof and fitting in a groove 124 of roller 66. This is to assure correct feed of thestrip as it passes over the roller 66 and onto surface 120 where it is firmly positioned by pressure pad 100 in response to actuation of operating lever and cover 88.

The section of the machine for dispensing larger quantities of stamps differs from the section which has been described in detail by being wider to accommodate sheet '350f stamps instead of a narrower strip as at 33. One sectioni's on the left side of the machine and the other is on the right side, and other than this, section 130 is identical to the other section which has been described in detail.

The means for selecting the correct number of stamps interact between bothgsections. These means consist of a rocker shaft 132 mounted for oscillation in terminal bearings 134 and 136 which are carried by the front and rear walls of the casing of the machine. It is preferred that the rocker shaft have a non-circular cross-section,

for instance, square, so that slide 138 which is disposed onthe shaft 132 may be tilted from the left to right positions and at the same time turn the rocker shaft 132 freely in its bearings 134 and 136. -A handle 140 is attached to slide 138 to facilitate rocking of the slide and shaft 132. The shaft and slide are located between the actuating levers of the stamp dispensing section of the machine- (FIGURE 1). There are two endless conveyors 150 and :152 which are parallel to shaft 132 and which fdrivinglyconnect with the lower rollers of the two sections of .the machine. Typically shaft 68 has a hub 158 at its inner end (FIGURE 4) and a sprocket 160 connectedwith the shaft on the inside of the hub. Con- -veyor-chain152 is engaged with sprocket 160 and with sprocket 164 which is similarly connected to spindle 74. Endless conveyor 150 is connected with a sprocket 17-2 at the end of shaft 173 supporting sheet driver roller 174. The sheet drive roller 174 responds in function to roller '66. cenve omso is also engaged with a sprocket 178 which is drivingly connected with shaft 180, shaft 180 responding in function to shaft or spindle 68.

Slide-138 is mounted in opening 202 in top wall 24, and there are rows of graduations along the sides of opening-202 and between the operating levers and covers 88 -and;=130. The graduations may be in dollar value or numerical designation for the number of trading stamps, postage stamps or other types of stamps.

'There are two groups .190 and 192 of laterally projectingfingers 200 pivotally connected with the upper saddle part 196 of slide 138. The pivot connection is established -by-having a pair of spaced parallel pins 194 carried by partw196 of slide'138 on opposite sides of lever 140 and fitting in upwardly opening notches 191 and 193 in the upper edges of the fingers. The inner lower edges of the fingersseat on the lower wall of saddle 196, and the outer lower edges of the fingers have downwardly opening -notches '197 to engage the chains of the endless conveyors.

A number of essentially flat transverse springs 199 are carried in saddle 196and have their opposite ends in contact with the fingers 200 to hold them in a down position. Lever 140 can be moved to the left or to the right thereby oscillating slide 138 and rocker shaft 130 in its bearings against the yielding restoring force of spring 133- (FIG. 3) attached to the shaft and to the casing. When the slide is moved to the left or to the right, fingers in either group .190 or 192 engage one of the conveyors, and due to i the resilient opposition to pivotal movement, those fingers fitting between conveyor cross links engage the conveyors and those fingers which bear on the cross links will'be pivotally moved. When adjusted in this way, the slide may be pulled on shaft 132.

As the slide is pulled forward the drive rollers propel a selected length of strip 33 or sheet 35 by preselecting the desired notch 204 near the graduations and by then moving the slide all the way forward. '1" hen the user simply depresses the operating lever causing knife 104 or knife to cut the strip or sheet along the perforations thereof. Should the machine be slightly out of adjustment so that the knife would not sever exactly along the lines of perforations, knobs 216 and 218 which are attached to shafts'74 and 173 and which are disposed on the exterior of the casing of the machine, may be turned slightly to move the conveyors and thereby align the perforations with the break formed by the movable and stationary cutters of each section of the machine.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to theexact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

;What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In a dispenser which has a case together with at least one dispensing section, said dispensing section of said dispenser having a first pair of rollers and a second pair of rollers spaced from each other, said rollers of each pair consisting of one roller which has a fixed axis of rotation and another roller which is movable toward it, an endless conveyor drivingly connected with said rollers having said fixed axis of rotation, means carried by said casing for selecting the length of travel of said conveyor and including a slide, a shaft on which said slide is longitudinally movable, and a finger carried by said slide and engageable with said conveyor at selected places long the length of one flight of said conveyor, resilient means operatively connected with said slide for pressing'said finger in firm contact with said flight of said conveyor and maintaining said finger in engagement therewith through the entire length of movement of said slide on said shaft, and a second dispensing section including a second endlessconveyor, said second conveyor parallel to the first mentioned conveyor, said slide located between said conveyors and oscillatable to positions of engagement with either conveyor.

2. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein there are tables for each section having a flat upper surface on which to support the material that is to be dispensed and located between said pairs of rollers to provide support therefor in between said pairs of rollers.

3. A dispensing machine for an elongated flat material, comprising a casing including a storage chamber for the material, a pair of dispensing sections in said machine and including tables, pairs of rollers at the ends of said tables,

other section, and mechaincal means selectively engageable with selected portions of either of said conveyors to .actuate a selected conveyor through a predetermined length of travel to thereby propel a selected length of material from a selected section, each section having a cover hinged to said casing, and a cutter carried by said cover, the pairs of rollers each consisting of a lower roller and an upper roller, at least one of said upper rollers being carried by said cover, said mechanical means including a slide on a shaft rockably mounted by the casing, fingers protruding from said slide and engageable with a portion of each conveyor.

4. The dispenser of claim 3 including resilient means operatively connected to said upper rollers for yieldingly biasing said upper rollers in a direct-ion pressing said upper rollers toward the lower rollers.

5. The dispenser of claim 4 wherein there is a pressure pad carried by said cover to hold the material during the cutting thereof.

6. In a dispenser which has a case together with a pair of dispensing sections, each dispensing section of said dispenser having a first pair of rollers and a second pair of rollers spaced from each other, said rollers of each pair consisting of one roller which has a fixed axis of rotation and another roller which is movable toward it, an endless conveyor in each section drivingly connected with said rollers having said fixed axis of rotation, an actuating lever hinged for mechanical movement to said casing and pivotally supporting the rollers which move toward the fixed axis rollers, means carried by said casing for selecting the length of travel of the conveyors and including a slide, a shaft on which said slide is longitudinally movable, said shaft being orientated parallel to the conveyors, and finger means carried by said slide for engagement with either one or the other conveyor at selected places along the length of one flight of the engaged conveyor.

7. The dispenser of claim 6 including resilient means operatively connected with said slide for pressing said finger means in firm contact with said flight of the engaged conveyor and maintaining said finger means in engagement therewith through the entire length of movement of said slide on said shaft.

8. A dispensing machine for an elongated fiat material, comprising a casing including a storage chamber for the material, a'pair of dispensing sections in said machine, first and second dispensing rollers spaced from each other in each section, means for selecting a predetermined length of said material including a conveyor drivingly connected with the rollers in each section, and mechanical means selectively engageable with selected portions of either of said conveyors to actuate a selected conveyor through a predetermined length of travel to thereby propel a selected length of material from a selected section,

said mechanical means including a slide on a shaft rockably mounted in the casing, said shaft extending parallel to the conveyors, and finger means protruding from said slide and engageable with a portion of each conveyor.

9. In a dispenser which has a case together with a first dispensing section, said dispensing section of said dispenser having first and second pairs of dispensing rollers longitudinally spaced from each other, at least one r-oller of each pair having a fixed axis of rotation an endless conveyor drivingly connected with said one roller in each pair, means carried by said casing for selecting the length of travel of said conveyor and including *a slide, a shaft on which said slide is longitudinally movable, and finger means carried by said slide and engageable with said conveyor at selected places along the length of one flight of said conveyor, and a second dispensing section including a second set of pairs of rollers longitudinally spaced in the same manner as the first pair and parallel thereto, and a second endless conveyor drivingly connected in the same manner as said first mentioned conveyor, said second conveyor parallel to the first mentioned conveyor, said slide located between said conveyors and oscillatable to positions of engagement with either conveyor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,098,913 Magidson June 2, 1914 2,097,788 Furrer Nov. 3, 1937 2,176,966 Helsel Oct. 24, 1939 2,704,576 Rosauer Mar. 22, 1955 2,755,084- Dodegge July 17, 11956 2,781,840 Hanson Feb. 19, 1957 2,923,544 Hanson Feb. 2, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 407,600 Great Britain Mar. 22, 1934 OTHER REFERENCES Reversible Drive for Magnetic Tape (Andrews, et al.), published by Radio Corp. of America, Princeton, N.I., 1958 RCA TN No. 183. (Copy in 2712.4.) 

3. A DISPENSING MACHINE FOR AN ELONGATED FLAT MATERIAL, COMPRISING A CASING INCLUDING A STORAGE CHAMBER FOR THE MATERIAL, A PAIR OF DISPENSING SECTIONS IN SAID MACHINE AND INCLUDING TABLES, PAIRS OF ROLLERS AT THE ENDS OF SAID TABLES, SAID TABLES BEING CONNECTED WITH SAID CASING, SAID PAIRS OF ROLLERS HAVING THE MATERIAL PASSED THEREBETWEEN TO GUIDE THE MATERIAL, MEANS FOR SELECTING A PREDETERMINED LENGTH OF SAID MATERIAL AND INCLUDING A PAIR OF CONVEYORS, ONE OF SAID CONVEYORS DRIVINGLY CONNECTED WITH A FIRST AND A SECOND ROLLER IN SAID FIRST SECTION, THE OTHER OF SAID CONVEYORS DRIVINGLY CONNECTED WITH A FIRST AND SECOND ROLLER OF THE OTHER SECTION, AND MECHANICAL MEANS SELECTIVELY ENGAGEABLE WITH SELECTED PORTIONS OF EITHER OF SAID CONVEYORS TO ACTUATE A SELECTED CONVEYOR THROUGH A PREDETERMINED LENGTH OF TRAVEL TO THEREBY PROPEL A SELECTED LENGTH OF MA- 